2 years ago

Freezing Rain Out There - Freezing rain, flooding, downed tree limbs and just plain rain is making the morning commute really bad in many areas with PECO estimating more than 100,000 customers experiencing outages - especially Philadelphia's western suburbs. Many schools and public offices are on delay. Several bus routes, 55, 93 120 and 205, have also suspended service. Many route are operating on a modified schedule

Nas Performing Illmatic - Nas recently revealed that he hardly even listens to Illmatic anymore. That’s definitely going to change because it’s been announced that he will perform the album in its entirety at the upcoming Coachella music festival on April 20th. April marks the 20th anniversary of the album and in addition to the Coachella show, Nas will be heading on an anniversary tour and releasing a digitally mastered version of the original with 10 unreleased and remixed tracks via Illmatic XX. There is also a documentary in the works.

Corbett Increases Public Education - Yesterday Governor Corbett proposed a $400 million budget increase for public education. The money would go towards teacher training, early childhood education, special education and scholarship programs for higher education. Corbett spoke about some of the current practices by saying, “Through targeted initiatives, we have worked to increase accountability and transparency in our schools, infused stronger educational resources into our classrooms, and focused financial resources on supporting students at all levels.” The proposition has received mixed reviews, however. While some school district representatives openly welcome the extra funds critics believe that the money would not reach the students who need it most. A spokesperson for the PA State Education Association said, “The school funding really doesn't even begin to restore the cuts that Pennsylvania public schools have suffered through for the last three years of this governor's term.” The acting Secretary of Education responded to this concern by asserting that the funds would be strategically allocated to maximize student achievement.

Coca Cola Commercial Has Some People Angry - The Coca Cola commercial that ran during the Superbowl has some conservatives up in arms. The ad featured people from a wide range of racial, sexual and ethnic backgrounds and lifestyles singing “America The Beautiful” in different languages. In response to the visuals one conservative wrote that the song is a “deeply Christian patriotic anthem whose theme is unity” and the commercial sends the meesage that the country is no longer ruled by English being the language of the government. He said that according to the commercial, “It [America] is not a nation governed in the Anglo-American tradition of liberty. It is instead a nation governed by some all inclusive multicultural synthesis of the various forms of government in the world.” Another critic argued that the country is on the road to damnation because we can’t be “proud” to sing the anthem in English during the Superbowl. Others in opposition called it “disgusting” and “disturbing.”

Superbowl Prostition - According to a report released by the FBI dozens of people were rescued from a sex trafficking prostitution ring being conducted at the Super Bowl. 16 people between the ages of 13 and 17 were sent to the tri state area by their pimps to elicit sex from super bowl attendees while dozens of others were brought to the US from other countries to be sold- some of which had been reported missing by their families. The 6 month long investigation between the FBI and more than 50 other law enforcement agencies was able to crack down on the ring and ultimately busted 45 pimps. One FBI rep said, “High-profile special events, which draw large crowds, have become lucrative opportunities for child prostitution criminal enterprises.”

Pharrell Performing At The Oscars - Not only is Pharrell nominated for an Oscar but he will also be taking the stage to perform! According to the show’s producers William will be performing his hit song ‘Happy’ (which is nominated for Best Original Song) at the ceremony. The Oscar’s will air March 2nd on ABC.

Shoppers Get A Free Credit Report From Target - Target has recently been caught up in the crazy hacking scandal and as a result you can get a free credit report on their dime. Sidebar I got a letter from Neiman Marcus telling me to check my account to make sure no funny activity has been happening. But back to Target they announced that you can go on creditmonitoring.target.com and get a free report. At this point anyone can take advantage of the offer because they are not cross checking against their database of potentially affected customers. Additionally, the company has been offering free credit monitoring for its customers. Seems like Neiman Marcus should hop on this train too considering its in the same credit hacking boat.

Cars Will Talk To Other Cars - Federal regulators are looking for ways to improve road safety and one method would be to have cars talk to each other. In an effort to reduce crashes and traffic jams feds want all vehicles to be equipped with Vehicle to Vehicle technology that would pas weather, traffic and road conditions from car to car which would then be relayed to the driver. Their goal is to have real time communication between cars so that crashes can be avoided all together.

CVS Is Making Some Major Changes - The nation’s second-largest drugstore chain, CVS, plans to stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products at its more than 7,600 stores by Oct. 1. This would make it the first national pharmacy company to stop selling tobacco. CVS, which is second only to Walgreen Co. in retail locations, has been increasing its business providing medical care through its pharmacists and a growing number of urgent minute clinics. So they are moving into a company that cares about your well being and selling cigarettes are not exactly good for you.